


Nightmares

by Ladybugtrashcan



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Angst, F/M, Fake Character Death, Fluff, Reveal, again this is angst, bit of Violence, bit of gore, tons of tears, unedited
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-19
Updated: 2016-03-19
Packaged: 2018-05-27 17:43:43
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,992
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6293746
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ladybugtrashcan/pseuds/Ladybugtrashcan
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When an akuma attacks with the name of Nightfear, there are things that should not be seen. The death of your partner is one of them.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Nightmares

**Author's Note:**

> HAHAHAHA have fun good luck! I hate myself and I wrote too much angst!

Adrien was lost, like _really_ lost. He stood in a long black hallway, which he had been walking down for about ten minutes. He could vaguely remember that he was fighting an akuma as Chat Noir previously, and he knew he should get back to Ladybug, but he was just so lost. There weren’t any turns in the hallway, only solid black walls that were a bit too close together. As far as he could tell there was barely any lighting, but he could see clearly. He thought he was still transformed, but he couldn’t hear Plagg no matter how many times he called out for his Kwami in his head, and his hands were covered in darkness so he couldn’t tell if he was wearing his suit or not. He had run his hands across his face, but could only feel the pressure of his fingers, not the texture of what they were rubbing. Chat was getting aggravated at the pointlessness, and was ready to stop walking when a mirror(?) came into view. It was the first object in the seemingly non-ending path, and Adrien ran to it.

Immediately he realized it was a very bad decision.

The mirror showed his mother, with her long blonde hair loose over her shoulders. It would have been a pretty image, except for the slight pool of red gathering under her right eye. His mother stared at him with pity, the red reaching its tipping point and running down his mother’s face like a tear. Adrien could see it pool on the cool glass, and hesitantly reached out a hand to wipe the disgusting tear away. He pressed his thumb against the glass, before dragging his thumb across and off to get the mark away. It smudged on the glass in a long streak. Some had come off on Adrien’s thumb, and in a moment of uncontrollable curiosity Adrien brought the offensive red liquid to his lips and gave a lick. It was blood. His eyes widened as the his mother’s did too, and Adrien’s gut heaved as his mother’s beautiful image twisted. Her large eyes showed unparalleled horror as she started to cry rivers of blood. Her hair faded and fell, making a puddle at Adrien’s feet. Her skin became grey and dry, and large cracks appeared in the mirror, splintering her face. Adrien was puking as his mother’s image continued to distort. Her mouth opened in a silent scream, and she was shaking as if she was being choked. Adrien could no longer stand the image of his tortured mother, and in a desperate cry filled with tears Adrien punched the glass. The mirror shattered, which caused glass to spray and glaze Adrien skin. He could feel the small cuts across his face, and his tears mixing with the stinging cuts produced his own bloody tears.

The glass fell away, hitting the floor with tinkling sounds. There was not the black wall behind the glass, but instead a grey void. Adrien stared at it, trying to gather his thoughts as his mother’s image being distorted replayed in his head in and endless loop. The void suddenly grew, before forming the shape of a doorway, one large enough for Adrien to step through. He was stepping through it before he could realize his actions, and a bright light immediately accosted him. The scene cleared away to show the area around the Eiffel tower, and Adrien breathed a sigh of relief as felt the dark hallway fade away. His memories of the day came back with amazing force as he recalled the akuma he had been fighting. Named “The Nightfear” he had struck people with a mist that placed them into a deep sleep, where they would be forced to live through their worst nightmares. His item was his nightcap, and Adrien was just about to grab it before he found himself in the dark passage.

It was with his memories that Adrien remembered his mistake in thinking he was free from the creepy images, because the image in front of him could not be real.

Ladybug had her back to him, but there was no mistaking the girl in the red suit. She was tired and bloody, facing an enemy that was clearly too strong for her alone. She was cursing every so often under her breath. Adrien heart almost broke through his chest as he looked down to find himself without his transformation, and his fear grew when he realized he didn’t have his ring. That meant no Plagg, and even worse, no helping Ladybug. Adrien cursed at his uselessness as a particularly nasty blow struck Ladybug back so that she lay near his feet. He rushed to her aid, helping her sit up, grimacing as she did. When she turned to look at him his throat tightened. She was looking at him as if he was worthless, as if she hated him, and with an angry snarl she told him why.

“Why aren’t you helping me _Chat!_ You are the _worst_ partner and I don’t want to see you _ever again_.”  She was unforgiving, her cold hard stare making her points more clear. Her body said it as she brushed him off harshly, making him fall ungracefully in shock as he landed on his ass. She stood in front of him, strong and unwavering, before giving him one last disgusting look and the parting words.

“And you just had to be Adrien?” Her voice was brutal, her intentions clear. She was disappointed that Chat turned out to be him, making her point that he clearly wasn’t good enough. He could feel the tears falling again, his previous cuts flaring painfully. Ladybug made no further comments as she swung back into battle. Adrien shut his eyes tightly, trying to make the scene go away, and when he opened them he found himself standing in the foyer of his home.

His distant and cold father stood atop the steps, eyes glazed over. Adrien noted bleary that he wore a strange necklace of rope before his thoughts could gather. His father was hanging from the crystal chandelier, eyes open and staring at something beyond him. Something Adrien had failed to help him with. The thought made Adrien shake, wracking his frame until he was throwing up again. His father had hung himself because of the grief of his wife, and Adrien couldn’t fill that hole well enough to save him. Adrien continued to dry heave even when nothing remained in his stomach. He stared one last time into his dead father’s grey face before a gunshot rang through the empty hallways. Adrien was bounding up the steps, bursting into the source of the sound. Nathalie was shaking where she stood, one hand gripping her desk and the other holding a pistol. The Gorilla was on the other side of the room, clutching his shoulder. Blood was pouring unceremoniously onto the floor from where he was holding. It was clear the wound was from the gun.

“Do not try to stop me” Nathalie warned in a shaking voice before bringing the gun under her chin. She pulled the trigger the same instance Adrien moved to stop her. The bullet lodged itself inside her skull, killing her instantly. Her lifeless body fell to the floor, her head bouncing off her desk as she fell.

“I am so sorry” spoke the Gorilla, the first words that Adrien had heard from him in a while. The Gorilla was giving unsteady breaths, his life fading quickly. He was focused intently on Nathalie, his eyes closing silently as he gave his last breath. Adrien fell to the floor, wrapping his arms around himself, digging his fingernails into his sides. He was truly, truly alone. The world tilted sideways and he suddenly was standing in front of his class. They were all staring at him, whispering some great secret that he didn’t know. Even sweet Marinette was involved, glancing suspiciously at him as she whispered to Alya.

Nino stood up suddenly and clued a wrecked Adrien in on the secret.

“You killed your father and let your partner die, didn’t you?” Nino said coldly, none of his usual spunk in his voice. Adrien gasped and fell against the teachers desk as he said those words, shakenly trying to keep himself upright. Hoping to find a friend Adrien turned towards Marinette who grew red in the face with anger, before standing and shouting out the words that hit him like a punch.

“YOU BERATRAYED PARIS, YOU TRAITOR!” She threw a book at him to punctuate her words, which hit him squarely in the chest. The desk that supported Adrien suddenly fell away, and making Adrien fall backwards. His arms careened as he tried to retain his balance, but he lacked strength to upright himself completely. Adrien prepared only slightly for his back to hit the ground, but the force that it hit made his head spin. He blinked wearily a few times, but he could not find the strength to sit back up. If he just lay here then maybe the visions would stop. But he had no such luck. A heavy object unexpectedly pressed against Adrien chest, but it wasn’t uncomfortable. He reached up to try and shove it off, but instead he found soft hair. He opened his eyes to get a closer look to find Ladybug staring at him. Her sparkling blue eyes softly smiled at him, her mouth hidden in the fabric of his shirt. It was then that Adrien felt the warmth spreading across his chest. Abruptly Adrien sat upright, with Ladybug’s body spread across his lap, her head nestled in the crook of his shoulder. Adrien gasped as his focused on Ladybug’s wound. A large puncture through her stomach was bleeding profusely, covering Adrien’s shirt in its ruddy mixture. She was still smiling as Adrien shakenly placed a hand against it to try and lessen the bleeding, but she shook her head no slightly with his efforts. She reached a glove hand up towards Adrien head, cupping his cheek and wiping a tear away. Adrien was sobbing, his body heaving and twisting, his head pounding and his fear growing. Even though Adrien had seen his father’s dead body, watching his Lady, the love of his life die was too much.

“Please no, please no you can’t leave me I love you please” Adrien was crying quietly and desperately, his eyes blown wide as he watched hers fade. With the last bit of her effort, she pushed herself up before laying a chaste kiss against his lips, before collapsing in his arms. Adrien felt his heart rip out of his chest as her eyes closed, her final image in life of a boy holding her tightly. She sighed slightly, a faint smile playing across her lips, before she let out her last breath. It eased out of her, taking her soul and leaving Adrien with nothing but an empty corpse. Adrien was screaming in pain as he pulled her tight, begging and pleading with some otherworldly force to save her, even if it meant him dying. His pain turned towards anger, anger at whoever had hurt her, whoever made him lose her. He lay her body down ever so gently before raising his hand to, shouting forth the words to start his Cataclysm. He knew he wasn’t transformed, but with what he had just seen he was going to damn well try anything to erase the situation he was in. He could feel the familiar power building, before he punched the ground at his feet. It splintered, before shattering.

Adrien was falling again before he could think. A bright suddenly rose and surrounded him. He was crying for Ladybug as the light swirled around, wishing desperately to find her body. Even if she truly was dead, she deserved a proper burial, and losing her body was not an option. Adrien kept screaming, until suddenly warmth was pressed against his chest, pinning his arms to his sides. He could feel it trace his jaw slightly before the warmth pressed itself against his lips. He desperately clutched to the sudden feeling, letting himself dive deeper into it. It was soft and warm, sweet even, tasting slightly of cookies. Adrien’s eyes suddenly shot open, before refocusing on Ladybug who was kissing him. He was gripping her sides tightly. His eyes became blurry again, making him blink, and finding out that tears had been the cause. In fact, he could feel the traces of tears across his face, most still fresh.

He moaned a little as Ladybug pulled his lips between her teeth. Her eyes shot open at the sound, quickly finding his. They were filled with worry and an emotion Adrien couldn’t quit name. She pushed herself up, maintaining eye contact as she did. Ladybug was straddling him, which made Adrien’s muddled head even more confused. First, she was alive. Second, she was straddling him without immediately getting off. And third, she had just kissed him. Adrien had so many questions, but his voice failed him when he tried. His mouth opened and closed uselessly, just like a fish. Ladybug’s eyes softened as she realized what he was trying to do. She nodded as if she understood, before getting off him and pulling him up. Moving into a sitting position made him feel surprisingly dizzy, and with a heave, he was throwing up. The food he thought didn’t remain in his stomach came up, presenting an image that he really didn’t want Ladybug to see. As he finished, Adrien caught a glance of his hand, which was ungloved. Meaning that the boy who sat in front of Ladybug was not Chat Noir, but instead Adrien Agreste. He suddenly turned to look at her, and she smiled sadly.

“You know?” Adrien managed to break out, his voice sounding rusty and tired. She nodded, and Adrien noticed how tired she looked. Plagg was resting on her shoulder, looking at the boy with curiosity. Adrien ran a hand through his hair, noting that it was damp from sweat and wild from him pulling at it. With a shaky breath, he tried to compose himself, before asking the question he really needed to know.

“What happened?”

\---------------------------------

Marinette hated villains like these. The physical one may give her bruises that don’t heal for weeks, but when the akuma have the powers to mess with her mind it is always more difficult. The “Nightfear” as he was calling himself was spewing black mist, that if inhaled gave people nightmares, or at least that was what Marinette could deduce. At least thirty people were caught, and were lying on the ground crying and some were even screaming. As Marinette ducked away from a black cloud, Chat had jumped with cataclysm activated and almost grabbed the villain’s glowing nightcap, the probable source of his powers. But Chat moved too slow, and the Nightfear released a potent black cloud into Chat’s face. Chat immediately dropped, hitting the ground like a sack of bricks. His face flashed across in pain, but soon faded. His eyebrows were creased together, his eyes scrunched closed. At least his nightmare didn’t seem so bad for the moment, and Marinette swung her yoyo around the Nightfear’s arm. She jerked the invincible string, hoping to get the Nightfear unbalanced, it worked, causing him to stumble a few steps closer to her.

Marinette released her mistake as he released his black mist. She was too close, and she took a few quick steps backwards. It wasn’t enough to clear her away from all the mist, and she felt her eyes close and she fell to the ground. Marinette knew she didn’t inhale much, and awoke in her dream with the strong realization that she needed to break free of her dream.

It was going to be much harder than she thought.

Marinette stood in an open field, flowers filling the expanse with gorgeous colors. A soft breeze blew warmly against her cheek. Without warning, the breeze increased, turning chilly and whipping across the field. The flowers petals took flight, before forming a tunnel around Marinette. But instead of falling away, more and more petals started to swirl, swirling faster and faster. The tunnel started to narrow, and Marinette realized the horrific turn that the tunnel was taking. The scene was shifting, the colors of the petals fading into black and white, before suddenly dissipating. Marinette found herself standing outside her bakery doors. It was raining, making the environment seem worn and faded. A distressed Adrien was in front of her, eyes heavy and sad. He was talking to her slowly, a glint of despair slowly taking over his eyes.

“I am being homeschooled again, for good this time,” he was saying, repeatedly like a broken record. Marinette yearned to hug him, but her feet refused to listen to her. He turned away, tears pooling in his eyes, and Marinette’s heart broke for him. Adrien took one-step into the street before a large truck suddenly appeared. As Marinette watched in horror, the truck ran head on into Adrien. Glass shattered, and the truck made the poor boy’s mangled body fly across the street. He hit the ground with a thud, his bones breaking more as he did. He lay on the ground, crumpled into a fetal position. His eyes finally released the held in tears. His shin stuck out from under his skin, and his left arm was twisted underneath him. The worst wound was his head, where his skull had cracked. Red blood poured from the wound, creating a sickening pool. Marinette’s hand covered her mouth, as her body started to heave. The sounds replayed as a twisted song in her head. The cars breaks skidding, the crash, his body hitting the pavement, the sound of breaking bones. Marinette closed her eyes tightly, trying to remember why she was seeing this, and the akuma attacking her came back flooding back to her. She was so absorbed in the scene in front of her she forgot that this was only a dream. If she was still in her form, that meant she could break this. Even though she stood as Marinette on that twisted sidewalk, she reached towards her hip where she knew her yoyo lay. She found its weight, even as it remained invisible to her, and opened her eyes to shout out lucky charm.

The Nightfear wasn’t done playing with her mind yet. The scene was the same, but a warm red glow was present behind her back. Marinette turned around, her eyes widening in horror as she saw her bakery, her childhood home, covered in hot red flames. The entire building was on fire, and she could hear her parents screaming for help within. Marinette knew it was a dream, but her parents were screaming for her, calling desperately. She couldn’t bear to watch it anymore, and rushed headlong into the flames.

Climbing the steps into their living room, Marinette found her mother laying on the couch, the flames already claiming her body. Her face was burned, turned into a black mess. Her left leg was almost gone, turned into black charcoal. Marinette reached for her, before her father suddenly came into view. He was kneeling at his wife’s side, not caring that the flames were burning his back. He turned towards Marinette with a void expression, before the flames suddenly rose to claim them both. Marinette was screaming for them, her voice burning as the smoke filled her lungs. She closed her eyes tightly, her feet skittering backwards as every fiber of her being rejected the image. Marinette found herself at the window, and pressed her back against it. Immediately it shattered, and with some unknown force pulled her through it. She closed her eyes instinctively, and found herself in the park. Everything was a mess. Trees had been pulled from the ground, their roots helplessly in the air. The fountain was smashed, water spraying haphazardly. The worst was Chat, whose body was bloody from the fight with the enemy.

Marinette’s eyes couldn’t focus on who the enemy was, but she knew he was big and strong and that she needed to help. She was just about to lunge into action when a fiery burst of _something_ came towards her, and Chat Noir rushed to protect her.

It hit him square on the back, his breath knocking out of his chest as it hit. Marinette gasped as Chat Noir pushed her done by accident, his body leaning over hers. His eyes held betrayal and some other unknown emotion.

“You did this to me” he spoke quietly, before a spear impaled Chat through the chest. The blood splattered against Marinette’s chest, seeping into her shirt. Chat coughed up blood, the cruel drops dripping onto Marinette’s face. It was too gruesome to watch, and it was what jolted Marinette’s system. Chat being injured to this point was impossible, because Marinette would never let it happen. She rose to her feet, pushing the fake dead Chat off her.  With a steadying breath, Marinette called out her lucky charm. Just the action of doing so made the dream fade, its edges growing faint. In her hand fell a pair of children’s scissors. With a knowing look, Marinette jabbed them into the ground, and the dream splintered and fell away.

The Nightfear was reaching for Chat Noir’s ring when Marinette came to. With a roar she let her yoyo spin, grabbing the Nightfear’s nightcap as he was distracted. She ribbed the offending fabric in two, and the black butterfly flew out. Marinette captured the dirty creature with her miraculous, purifying it. She reached for the scissors to throw and reverse the Nightfear’s dreams, but could not find them.

“Tikki where did the scissors go?” Marinette asked in her head. Tikki responded hesitantly.

“I think they disappeared when you broke through the nightmare” She squeaked, perplexed at why they hadn’t stayed with Marinette. The crying child broke through Marinette’s thoughts, sitting where the triumphant Nightfear once was. He was screaming, brown eyes filled with tears. Marinette could see the bruises dotting the child’s arms. No wonder his power was to give bad dreams, he was probably living through one of his own. She ran towards him, hand gently placed on his back. She was slowly calming the scared child down as people came to. They broke through their dreams with a shout, the black mist having worn off. Some huddled into a ball while others ran to each other for comfort.

It was Chat’s mangled scream that broke her attention away from the sniffling child. Her eyes widened as he started to claw at himself, silent screams heaving out of his chest. His ring was beeping frantically, and Marinette whispered an apology as she pulled her crying partner into an alley. Once they were hidden, his transformation fell off, leaving a tormented Adrien Agreste in its place. Marinette gasped at the sight, her mind recoiling at the fact that Chat Noir and Adrien Agreste were the same person. It hit her hard, as she leaned unsteadily against the side of the alley. He was breaking from his dream, instead growing more and more upset. It physically hurt Marinette to see him sobbing in pain beneath her feet. His hands reached towards his hair, pulling and tugging, his nails scratching his face, as if the pain would save him. Marinette needed to stop him, but she didn’t know how.

Her mind suddenly remembered the Dark Cupid battle, where a kiss could break an evil spell. As Adrien mangled cry filled the air, Marinette was already getting into position. She sat atop him, pushing his hands to his sides. He struggled underneath her strength, whimpering a sting of _no_ under his breath. Marinette leaned down, capturing his mouth with hers.

 _It was nothing like the Dark Cupid kiss._ Back then, he was fighting against her, but now he froze under her lips. With a mangled growl, he began to hungrily kiss her back. He grabbed her as if she was his lifeline, pressing their bodies together. When he moaned, Marinette eyes snapped opening, capturing his discombobulated green ones. Tears still ran down his face, but he was back to himself. She sat up, watching as Adrien tried to ask her what just happened. No sound came out though, and she softened her worry at his efforts. She reached out her hand, which he grabbed, and she pulled him up into a sitting position. His body clearly rejected the movement, and he hastily turned away as he emptied his stomach. She looked away. Whatever he had seen could not have been pretty, especially if it was anything like hers. A small black object, supposedly Adrien’s Kwami, came and rested on Marinette’s shoulder. He looked shaken too, watching with pained eyes his charges distressed form. After he had emptied his stomach, Adrien’s body stiffened again, as he seemed to register that he was no longer transformed. He turned to look at Ladybug with guilty eyes.

“You know” he croaked out. She nodded, the black Kwami meeting Adrien’s eyes with a slight smile.

“What happened?” he managed, his voice sounding stronger than before.

Marinette told him what happened, how he had been hit, how she had been in her own dream for a bit (to which he grimaced), how she had broken free, and how she had purified the akuma. She also explained how she had used her lucky charm in her nightmare, but she lost it once she came back. Her miraculous hadn’t beeped once since, and she was wondering if she had ever really called it forth. Adrien nodded in understanding, noticing how he had used cataclysm even though he had already used it once.

“We probably thought we were using it, and it’s the belief that we could break the dream that allowed us to” Marinette mused, hand rubbing softly on her chin. She let a yawn escape her lips, and Adrien gave a small smirk at her actions.

“I think it is time for us to go home,” said Adrien, trying to climb to his feet. He stumbled immediately, bracing his hands against the wall. He cursed under his breath, feeling his legs shake with the effort. He really was rattled up.

“I’ll help you home” said Marinette, voice soft. She could still feel the dream pressing behind her eyes, but she needed to help Adrien home. He looked ready to deny her offer, but his body wasn’t going to comply with him, so he accepted. She held him close to her, before using her yoyo to set them flying across rooftops.

\---------------------------------------

“Which room is yours?” Marinette asked as they stood atop the Agreste mansion.

“The one on the left corner” Adrien gestured, still clutching Ladybug’s waste. She walked to the edge of the roof before jumping down to the windows. Thankful that he had left it open, Adrien pushed it wider and jumped in. He was glad his legs withstood the jump. Ladybug hesitated outside the window, not wanting to leave Adrien alone. Adrien gave his biggest smile before gesturing her in.

“Please don’t be a stranger, come in. I’ll get you something to eat.” Ladybug sighed in relief at his words, gracefully sliding into his room. It was pressingly large, the large bookcases, rock-climbing wall, and skateboard ramps a bit too much for her to take it.

“Please sit” Adrien called nervously, watching Ladybug take in his room. “I’ll be right back” he said quickly, dashing downstairs to get the food.

\-----------------------------

 _I don’t know what she likes_ Adrien muttered to himself as he scoured the kitchen for food. He threw some mix of cheese on the plate, along with some sweets. He ran upstairs to find Ladybug sitting at his desk, smiling slightly at his monitors covered in his pictures. He blushed nervously as her glittering blue eyes met his, and he placed the food down. He stood staring at her before jumping to his senses. His body’s condition rushed back to him, and he smell the sweat across his skin. He crunched his nose up before looking to Ladybug, who was eying the cookies particularly closely.

“I am going to go shower, if you don’t mind. You could de-transform and feed your Kwami while I’m in there” Marinette nodded in agreement, her eyes tired.

 Adrien grabbed a pair of pajamas before rushing into the bathroom, and quickly turned the tub on. The hot scalding water was a relief, cleansing the sticky sweat from his sore body. He shuts his eyes, letting his muscles slowly relax. But in his moment of peace the dreams came rushing back in full force. His dead father, Ladybug’s scorn glare, and all the blood swirled around his head. The tubs temperature was fading and Adrien couldn’t help but make the conclusion that it was the same temperature as Ladybug’s blood. He stood at the thought, quickly leaving the bath. He dried off, quickly getting dressed, his desire to see Ladybug pushing him quicker. He opened his door to find Marinette Dupain-Cheng asleep on his coach, with a red bug trying to wake her.

It took a minute for Adrien to realize why she was there. The red bug could only be Ladybug’s Kwami, and if she was here, that mean Marinette could only by Ladybug. His body sagged against the bathroom door, thankful that it was she of all people. He walked softly towards his drawers, pulling out the smallest pair of pajamas he could find. He then went to stand beside his couch, leaning over and whispering quietly in her ear.

“ _Marinette”_ At the sound of her voice she jumped, eyes snapping open to see the weary but happy Adrien staring at her. She looked away quickly, noticing that she lacked the plethora of black spots that came with her suit. Her eyes widened in astonishment before looking back up at him. Adrien was much closer now, a thick emotion painted across his face. He leaned in slowly before wrapping his arms around Marinette. He buried his face in her shoulder, before saying what Marinette so desperately needed to hear.

“I’m glad it’s you” Marinette’s heart swelled in response, before quickly following.

“I am glad that it’s you too” His breath hitched, and he raised his head to connect his eyes with hers. He leaned in slowly; until he was close enough Marinette could feel his breath against her lips. He retained lidded eye contact with her before he said those words he always wanted to tell her.

“I love you”

Marinette could tell she was crying, but she couldn’t stop the smile and giggles from bubbling up from deep inside her. She loved him too, not just as Adrien, but also as Chat Noir, and seeing him theoretically die in front of her made her realize this fact.

“I love you too” Marinette managed to squeeze out from between her tears and giggling.

Adrien broke out into a grin, before laying a passionate kiss against her lips. It was filled with love and longing, and relief. They had both worried about what would happen if they revealed their identities to each other, and today was not the particular way they wanted to do it. But it had all worked out in the end.

Adrien suddenly swept Marinette off the couch, placing her gently in the bed. In a sudden burst of though Adrien ran to get the clothes he had grabbed and offered them shyly to Marinette took them, and sat on the edge of the bed. She didn’t mind Adrien’s stare as she pulled the shirt off her head, before pulling his on. She kicked her flats off, before rolling her pants down. She heard his breath hitch, and her blush increased. She pulled on his black flannel pants, before glancing over her shoulder. He was blushing too, and was looking at her lovingly. She turned back around, before opening her arms wide. She was kneeling on the bed, and he hopped up to join her. Carefully he reciprocated her hug, arms winding behind her back to squeeze her gently. He nestled into her, and she into him. For the first time in a long time both could safely relax. He never wanted to lose her, and the tears pricked his eyes. He found the words escaping, his body shaking as they left him.

“I never want to lose you”

Marinette hugged him tighter, a stifled cry tearing out. Soon they were both sobbing, grasping each other tightly. They had both seen the other die, and the images kept replaying as they held each other.

“I never want to fight an akuma like that again,” Marinette cried, feeling Adrien nod in agreement. Slowly Adrien began his story, needing to share what he saw to someone. Marinette listened intently the entire time, supporting him as he relived what he had seen. She nuzzled him gently when he realized he had paused, as he tried to explain his father’s corpse hanging from the chandelier. He would probably never be able to look at it in the same way again. She then told her story, and he gripped her tightly as her voice cracked as she described her parent’s burnt bodies.

Soon both were exhausted beyond measure, and Marinette tipped them both over so they lay on the bed. Her eyes were closed, her hands grasping the back of Adrien’s shirt. He was slowly tracing her face, memorizing the trace of her jaw, the way her eyelids fluttered sleepily. He pulled her close when she let out a scared moan, and he felt her relax under his touch. He was soon fast asleep as well.

\---------------------------------

Marinette was stuck in the dream again. However, it was slightly different now. Adrien was still hit by the truck, the same glass was sprayed and his body landed in the same position. But instead of staying dead on the ground, he stood up, the blood still dripping from his head wound. He was staring at Marinette with unmasked hurt. It was then that the same spear pierced his body, but now he was screaming at her as it did. His words were unmistakable.

“It’s your fault”

It replayed again and again and again, hurting Marinette each time it played. She couldn’t move, but could only watch as the love of her life died over and over. She tried to scream for help, but her words were lost in the sound of splintering glass.

\-------------------------------------

Adrien was awoken by Marinette’s smothered sobs. She looked as if she wanted to scream, but the sound got lost in her throat, leaving nothing but a strangled cry. She was flaying slightly, gripping the covers and pulling them to provide some relief that they wouldn’t give her. It pained Adrien to watch her tortured face. There was no sweet, sassy smile, no eye roll, just unrestricted distress

“ _Marinette”_ Adrien called, trying to break her free. It didn’t work. He tried again, louder this time. Again she remained in her conflicted state. He was getting desperate, and in a last ditch attempt he straddled her small frame, pushing her hands above her. She fought him with surprising strength, almost kicking him off the bed. Adrien remembered what had brought him back, and he lowered himself down to kiss her. She eased under his touch, before reacting in much the same way he did. She grasped at his warmth, as she slowly broke free from her dream. He let her hands go when he felt her stop resisting. She brought her hands up to cup his face and grasped his sleep shirt. The kiss eased as she responded, turning sweet and mellow. Adrien finally broke away after five minutes.

“Thank You” Marinette whispered, looking gratefully at Adrien.  He smiled a bright charming smile.

“No problem, my princess” He didn’t ask what the dream was, but she told him anyway. When she finished she looked at him with sad eyes, and he delicately kissed her forehead.

“I am not going anywhere my lady” he muttered.

“Good” Marinette mewled, eyes growing heavy as sleep fought to reclaim her. Thankfully, she slept blissfully through the rest of the night.

\------------------------------

Marinette headed back home as soon as the sun peaked above the horizon. Her parents would surely be worried if she wasn’t home when they woke up. She kissed Adrien sweetly before dashing across the rooftops.

The day at school was long and boring. She was still tired, and was constantly chasing the visions out of her head. Adrien did much the same. There was one slight change that almost everybody in the class noticed, and that was how Marinette and Adrien seemed to drift together when left alone. During lunch, they ate together, and during gym, they ran together. Their sleepiness prevented them from talking much, but they needed each other’s company. The akuma attack was still very real in their eyes. It was startling when they realized they had to separate to go home.

“I’ll see you at patrol tonight” Marinette whispered, her eyes half closed.

“Mhmm” Adrien agreed, before placing an absentminded kiss against her forehead. Marinette smiled slightly before heading towards her house, not even registering that Adrien had kissed her. Thankfully they had been alone, and she didn’t have to deal with anyone other than Tikki grilling her.

“So what’s your relationship with Adrien now?” The ancient creature asked with gleeful eyes.

Marinette hadn’t really thought about it, too tired to care for the point beyond that Adrien loved her as Marinette and Ladybug.

“Partner, I guess” said Marinette, collapsing on her couch with a weary sigh. Tikki clearly wasn’t happy with the answer, but it was all Marinette could give her. It was all Marinette could do to set and alarm for when patrol was, and once that was done, she drifted off into a light, restless sleep.

\-------------------------

Adrien was exhausted, and the photographer was loving it. The sleepy boy look was a nice change from his usually upbeat self, and was just what they needed for the black and white photoshoot. He really didn’t care as he let out another yawn, looking blankly at some point across the room. The photographer was shouting out that he was mysterious, but Adrien would rather be asleep. His photoshoot ended right when patrol was supposed to begin, and he cursed at himself for being late.

Ladybug, or should he say Marinette, was sitting idly on their meetup roof when he arrived. She gave him a tired smile when he arrived, and he gave back one of his own. She stood as he approached, giving him a short peck on the lips before turning and swinging off into the distance. They did not talk much, letting the peaceful atmosphere do the talking instead. When they arrived at the top of the Eiffel Tower, she let him hug her, and she rested her head on his shoulder. He rubbed small circles across her thigh, and she pressed her hand lightly against his thigh. Marinette was the one to break the silence, by asking the question Tikki had placed in her mind.

“What are we?” when he looked at her quizzically she elaborated, “I mean, what’s our relationship? Are we just partners or are we _more?”_

 _“More, hopefully”_ he answered without hesitation. That brought a small smile to her lips, as she nodded confidently.

“ _Ok then”_ She answered. It was soon time to go, and with a loving kiss, the two parted ways.

Marinette hit her bed with a heavy thud, awake long enough to pull an oversized t-shirt on and kick off her pants before she had fallen asleep.

Adrien, on the other hand, was having a different problem. He had gone home and leisurely taken a shower, before feeding Plagg and changing into his favorite pajamas. He was exhausted, but sleep wouldn’t take him. The fear that the dreams may come back when Marinette wasn’t there kept him awake.

He growled in exhaustion, before calling for Plagg. The Kwami groaned but complied, and soon he was flying across the rooftops until he landed heavily upon Marinette’s roof. She did not wake when he landed, or when he tapped on the glass. Her Kwami was the one to notice him, and gestured that the hatch was unlocked. He quietly crawled in, finding a sleeping Marinette. She was deeply asleep, and Adrien felt guilty to awaken her from such a pleasant slumber. Adrien released his transformation, watching as Plagg flew off with Marinette’s Kwami. He tried not too as he joined her in bed, slowly wrapping his arms around her waist. She groaned in mild irritation before groggily turning over to look at him.

“Adrien what are you doing here?” she mumbled, not bothering to hide the sleep in her voice.

“I couldn’t sleep” he sighed in response, feeling himself warm up under her covers. Marinette couldn’t find it in her to kick him out, so decided to just deal with it.

“Fine, but don’t make it a habit” she groaned again, turning over.

“I love you” he whispered in response. Marinette felt her cheeks heat up as she responded.

“I love you too”

\------------------------------------

It was definitely a habit, but neither wanted to break it. For the past month, Adrien and Marinette had taken turns sleeping at each other’s houses, relishing the warmth that their partner brought. It soon transferred over into their normal life, as the two became increasingly comfortable with each other. Eventually they had to tell Alya and Nino, who were ecstatic for both of them. Chloe was a bitch about it, but that’s to be expected.

In the end, there were no more nightmares. Only a great and durable love between two Parisian superheroes.


End file.
